open before handing the other to Paul. He took a small silver disk from his pants pocket and waved it around before checking it intently. He nodded to Paul.
“No bugs. It’s more the vandals I’m afraid of in this neighborhood, not the squishheads,” Lewis remarked, taking a deep chug. “We’re safe here.”
Paul popped his beer and took a sip. “I heard that Arthur Pomeroy got picked up. I can’t confirm it. A secretary in the department was talking this morning about a raid in Newton and mentioned some names. I was in the next room but I think she said Pomeroy. I had to pretend not to be interested and that’s all I heard her say. You knew him, didn’t you?”
Lewis opened a tool cabinet and took out a series of wrenches. “If it was Pomeroy I’m not surprised. I never talked to him much but I’ve seen him around. He always drank too much. You don’t become Sam Adams by drinking it all day.”
Paul pulled up a metal folding chair and wiped it off with a soiled rag. He set it facing Lewis’ vintage Plymouth Roadrunner. He settled down and took a second sip. “You think they can get back to us through Pomeroy?”
Lewis paused before answering. “I don’t think so. You never ran into him, did you?”
Paul shook his head.
“Last time I saw him was at a meeting in Somerville a few months ago,” Lewis continued. “Drunk as usual. He was with some woman down from Maine . She ran some sort of pamphlet operation–left pamphlets at restaurants, something like that. He was spouting off about trying to blow a ship or barge or something coming into Portland . Would supposedly close the harbor for six months. He had a map of it spread out in front of him. I knew then he was toast so I gave him a wide berth. I wouldn’t worry about him.”
“What if he gives them someone who can torch us?” Paul asked.
Lewis shrugged. “What’s anyone going to say? You haven’t joined any group. Christ, Paul, you never meet with anyone. So, I’ve been to a few meetings. Who hasn’t around here? The squishheads can’t lock up half of Cambridge , can they?”
“But, the project…” Paul began.
“What about it?” Lewis demanded. “It’s no one but you and me. Nothing on our computers. No notes left lying around. Arnold doesn’t even know what half the equipment we’ve bought is for, not that he ever did,” he added contemptuously.
“What about the money trail?” Paul asked nervously. “They’ve funneled a ton of dough to us to build this thing. Perry knows about the money. Lorrie Maddox delivered most of it to you. She knows. And we’re gonna’ need more to get additional fuel to run more tests.”
“She knows about the money, that’s all,” Lewis corrected. “She still thinks we’re developing explosives.”
“Jesus, Lewis, how the hell does that help? You think Vodkaville will leave us alone if they think all we’re doing is building bombs? You think they’ll figure that’s O.K.?”
Lewis sat on the bench opposite his friend. “Look, there’s nothing we can do. We need the money, we need Perry and we need Lorrie. Besides, even if they trace us they won’t make any move until they know what we’re up to. They’ll be afraid of not getting all of us and ending up with a 50 car freight train lying on its side outside Chicago . If they nab someone close to me we’ll know and have time. They won’t do a thing until they figure out what we’re up to.”
“What about the lab intern?”
Lewis nodded thoughtfully. “Natasha’s probably Agency. Smart too, and not just as a spy. Nigel says she really knows her stuff in physics. If she wasn’t a Russkie she could probably be a real help to us. But it’s just routine . There’s always a plant in the department.”
Paul shook his head. “Not always. There hasn’t been anyone for awhile. The last guy you spotted as Agency was that janitor two years ago.”
“You mean the guy from Boston College ? That was two years ago?” Lewis laughed. “Yeah,
“No bugs. It’s more the vandals I’m afraid of in this neighborhood, not the squishheads,” Lewis remarked, taking a deep chug. “We’re safe here.”
Paul popped his beer and took a sip. “I heard that Arthur Pomeroy got picked up. I can’t confirm it. A secretary in the department was talking this morning about a raid in Newton and mentioned some names. I was in the next room but I think she said Pomeroy. I had to pretend not to be interested and that’s all I heard her say. You knew him, didn’t you?”
Lewis opened a tool cabinet and took out a series of wrenches. “If it was Pomeroy I’m not surprised. I never talked to him much but I’ve seen him around. He always drank too much. You don’t become Sam Adams by drinking it all day.”
Paul pulled up a metal folding chair and wiped it off with a soiled rag. He set it facing Lewis’ vintage Plymouth Roadrunner. He settled down and took a second sip. “You think they can get back to us through Pomeroy?”
Lewis paused before answering. “I don’t think so. You never ran into him, did you?”
Paul shook his head.
“Last time I saw him was at a meeting in Somerville a few months ago,” Lewis continued. “Drunk as usual. He was with some woman down from Maine . She ran some sort of pamphlet operation–left pamphlets at restaurants, something like that. He was spouting off about trying to blow a ship or barge or something coming into Portland . Would supposedly close the harbor for six months. He had a map of it spread out in front of him. I knew then he was toast so I gave him a wide berth. I wouldn’t worry about him.”
“What if he gives them someone who can torch us?” Paul asked.
Lewis shrugged. “What’s anyone going to say? You haven’t joined any group. Christ, Paul, you never meet with anyone. So, I’ve been to a few meetings. Who hasn’t around here? The squishheads can’t lock up half of Cambridge , can they?”
“But, the project…” Paul began.
“What about it?” Lewis demanded. “It’s no one but you and me. Nothing on our computers. No notes left lying around. Arnold doesn’t even know what half the equipment we’ve bought is for, not that he ever did,” he added contemptuously.
“What about the money trail?” Paul asked nervously. “They’ve funneled a ton of dough to us to build this thing. Perry knows about the money. Lorrie Maddox delivered most of it to you. She knows. And we’re gonna’ need more to get additional fuel to run more tests.”
“She knows about the money, that’s all,” Lewis corrected. “She still thinks we’re developing explosives.”
“Jesus, Lewis, how the hell does that help? You think Vodkaville will leave us alone if they think all we’re doing is building bombs? You think they’ll figure that’s O.K.?”
Lewis sat on the bench opposite his friend. “Look, there’s nothing we can do. We need the money, we need Perry and we need Lorrie. Besides, even if they trace us they won’t make any move until they know what we’re up to. They’ll be afraid of not getting all of us and ending up with a 50 car freight train lying on its side outside Chicago . If they nab someone close to me we’ll know and have time. They won’t do a thing until they figure out what we’re up to.”
“What about the lab intern?”
Lewis nodded thoughtfully. “Natasha’s probably Agency. Smart too, and not just as a spy. Nigel says she really knows her stuff in physics. If she wasn’t a Russkie she could probably be a real help to us. But it’s just routine . There’s always a plant in the department.”
Paul shook his head. “Not always. There hasn’t been anyone for awhile. The last guy you spotted as Agency was that janitor two years ago.”
“You mean the guy from Boston College ? That was two years ago?” Lewis laughed. “Yeah,
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